This bill proposes updates to Arizona Revised Statutes section 36-510.01 regarding the service of documents in involuntary mental health evaluations and treatments. Currently, the law specifies that personal service of documents must be completed by a peace officer, but the bill would allow for service by a process server or another person as prescribed by law or court rule. Additionally, it introduces a provision that permits employees of an evaluation agency to serve documents on a proposed patient if they are already inpatient at the time the petition is filed.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that counties, cities, or towns employing peace officers may contract with process servers for document service instead of relying solely on peace officers. It also maintains that evaluation agencies are not financially responsible for serving the required documents, except in cases where service is performed on a proposed patient as outlined in the new subsection B. Overall, these changes aim to streamline the process of serving documents in mental health proceedings while maintaining the rights of individuals involved.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 36-510.01